How to Make Your Own Inuyasha Costume

Inu Yasha is a beloved anime and manga character. His adventures with Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango are loved by people all over the world. Whether you are looking to create a Halloween costume or something special to wear to a convention, this guide can help you figure out what you will need to put together a great Inu Yasha costume.

Things You'll Need

• wig
• styling products
• red fabric for costume
• black ribbon for costume accents
• Accesories:
• "sit" necklace
• press-on nails
• tetsusaiga and scabbard
• ears
• contact lenses

Instructions

1. Finding the right wig for your Inu Yasha costume can make or break your whole look. Look for a long white wig at a costume shop. You will need to cut and style the wig. If the wig doesn't have bangs already, cut and style the bangs. To get the piecey look for the bangs, style the wig with a little hair spray or gel.
   Next, you will need to trim two pieces from the side of the wig to be tucked behind your ears. Ideally, the longest parts of the wig will reach the middle of your back, the bangs will be blunt and piecey, and end just above the eyebrows, and you will have two shorter pieces you can tuck behind each ear that are just past shoulder length.
   If you don't feel confident in your abilities to deal with the wig, you can buy an Inu Yasha wig (complete with ears) at online cosplay stores such as Cosplay Magic.

2. Inu Yasha's clothes are complicated to create. The hakama will take yards and yards of fabric, which will end up being fairly expensive. With the level of difficulty involved, and the number of yards of fabric you will need, it will be more cost effective to buy a pre-made costume at a cosplay retailer or custom cosplay seamstress.
   If you are set on sewing your own costume, you will need to find a kimono or martial arts style costume pattern. Look for a sturdy cotton that will have movement, but will also retain it's structure. If you choose to make your own hakama, adding black ribbon accent at the sleeves will give your costume a more authentic look.

3. Next, you will need to gather all the necessary accessories: teeth, ears, and "sit" necklace.
   You can pick up vampire teeth caps, which are a single tooth that slides over your canines. These will give you the right look without being cumbersome. You can find them at costume shops, Spencer Gifts, and Hot Topic. These same stores will also have ears.
   You can purchase the necklace at various anime retailers online, including Cosplay Magic and AnimeSpectrum. If you want to make your own, you can get the beads and clasps at a craft store, or online retailer that specializes in selling beads.

4. The most striking part of any Inu Yasha costume is the sword, the testusaiga.
   You will have decide if you want to carry the inactive version, or the active version.
   The inactive version is badly rusted, dented, and covered with pockmarks. This version will actually be a little harder to source than the bright and shiny active version of the sword.
   For the active version, you can find a sword online at a costume retailer. SwordsSwords.com has a 52 inch tetsusaiga on sale right now for 25 dollars that has a great furry handle. If you want to carry the inactive sword, you can take a clean sword and alter it's appearance. If the blade is plastic, you can easily give it a weathered appearance by burning it with a lighter, and scuffing the surface with sandpaper and an X-acto knife.
   Don't forget the scabbard! Black enamel will look classy, but black plastic will be cheaper and easier to find.

5. For a truly great costume, you will need to add some small touches. Grow your nails out, or buy press-on nails. Invest in a pair of contacts to tint your eye color to a yellow-brown color. Inu Yasha doesn't wear shoes, but if you are going someplace where shoes are required, you could wear black tatami sandals, which you can pick up in surf shops, pharmacies and shoe stores.
   Practice the Inu-Yasha voice and facial expressions to go with your ensemble. Most importantly of all, practice a couple of great poses you can bust out when you are being photographed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a party or convention coming up where you want to wear this costume, you should give yourself at least 4 weeks to assemble all the things you need for your costume. Make sure you allow time for shipping, alterations, and any unexpected delays.

Resources

• Inu Yasha costume and accesories
• Some sewing patterns you could use.
• Tetsusaiga